Is there a project to motivate schools to use Ubuntu?

Question

Is there any global or EU project for motivating schools to use Ubuntu and Linux in general?

I'm trying to find a way to better motivate my co-workers in primary school to use Ubuntu in our small country.

I did migrate most of them in school to Ubuntu about a year and a half ago. And to motivate them, and show that they are doing something special, I would love to say to them "Because you were all so brave to switch from MS to Linux, our school is now a part of [some big name project]...blabla...TV, reporters..."

So basically I'm searching for something like MS "innovative" schools.

Answer 1

The closest I have come up with is Ubuntu Insights case studies for schools.
I would advise you to contact Canonical directly on this and see how they can help out.

Edubuntu:

The edubuntu project is a grassroots movement, that aims to get Ubuntu into schools, homes and communities and make it easy for users to install and maintain their systems.

This is Ubuntu but specifically for schools and comes pre-installed with many school-related applications installed including TuxPaint, TuxMath, and TuxTyping, among others.

1. https://www.edubuntu.org/
2. What is the difference between Edubuntu and Ubuntu?

Other Nice links to check out:

1. http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/education
2. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Education/UbuntuSchools
3. https://schoolforge.net/

Answer 2

I don't know about any global programmes, In my community (Kerala, a state in southern India) there is a government project for school students known as 'IT@school' which supports use of open source softwares . IT@school has customized versions of ubuntu OS which are used in every government and government-aided schools across Kerala , So I know that every students of my generation are aware about ubuntu and linux in my community and computer systems in nearly every homes run both windows and ubuntu as a dual boot system.

Answer 3

Canonical states "We promote the use of open source in education leading to large-scale desktop migrations covering hundreds of thousands of machines" on the about page. There's a Contact Us button on the Ubuntu For Education page

And if all else fails, the main switchboard number found on the about page is +44 20 7630 2400.

Although I can't guarantee you'll get a reply, I would begin here.

Alternatively you could simply say "Because you were so brave as to switch from MS to Linux, our school is now a part of:"

A global success in education

Getting the reporters interested however is beyond my skill set.

While out of date, this page has some Linux in education related info and some of the links are still active.

Answer 4

A school based system for Linux already exists

Like many other Linux Distributions Ubuntu is based on Debian. Debian has an educational platform for schools based on Skolelinux where Skole is the Norwegian name for School.

From this page: (DebianEdu Introduction - What is it?) you see:

• Create a complete solution: provide a complete educational software solution suitable for real scenarios, entirely free.
• Reduce technical barriers: The best way to reach wide spread is by easing installation, use, maintenance and administration. We make it easy and working out-of-the-box.
• International scale: as part of a collaborative project, it is essential to offer as higher native translation level as possible.
• Educational software ecosystem: it is necessary to locate, package and classify any educational free software.
• Teaching documentation: it is important not only to provide a great platform but to provide documentation on how to better use it for teaching.

To achieve your objectives the first step would be join this programme. Later on you can see which Ubuntu or Ubuntu-like components you can embed into your environment without violating licensing agreements, ie the non-free software.

To get to the main DebianEdu click (here)